Lu Li followed the stairs up to the second floor, where rows of neatly arranged counters filled the room.
The counters were covered with boxes.
The boxes came in all shapes and sizes. Some were no bigger than a fingernail, while others were as large as a door.
The counters stood right by the entrance, leaving no way for visitors to go farther inside.
The person in charge of the second floor was also an old man with hair and beard as white as snow. He radiated the same presence as Elder Qing: steady as a mountain, deep as an abyss.
"Pills, weapons, martial arts—you can buy whatever you want here." Black Hawk pointed at the counters and introduced the place with a smile.
Lu Li fell into thought at once.
Sooner or later, he would have to replace his martial arts. If he could buy a cultivation method here that would let him break through to the Houtian Realm, that would be ideal.
"Do you have any cultivation methods for sale?"
Black Hawk gave an awkward smile. "Well..."
After pondering for a moment, he carefully chose his words. "Brother Blood Ghost, there's something you should know."
"Cultivation methods are exceedingly expensive, and difficult to collect."
"Even in a commandery city, getting your hands on one is no easy matter, much less in a county town."
"So, if you want to buy a cultivation method, you'll have to go to a commandery city."
"But there's a rule at Wind and Rain Pavilion: anything we collect can be copied and kept here, while the original is sent to the higher-ups."
"If you're lucky, another Wind and Rain Pavilion might have a copy you can buy."
"But rather than checking them one by one and hoping for the best, it's more practical to make the trip to a commandery city."
"A commandery city?" Lu Li gave a slight nod.
Changfeng County was too small. He would have to visit a commandery city sooner or later.
"How strong is the martial world in a commandery city?"
"Would a nobody like me, at the Tendon-Refining Realm, be small fry there?"
Black Hawk chuckled. "You can kill Organ-Refining Realm experts, and you still call yourself a nobody?"
After teasing him, Black Hawk continued, talking with great enthusiasm.
"Take me, an Organ-Refining Realm martial artist. In a commandery city's Outer City, if I founded a gang, I'd be powerful enough to lord it over the place."
"I might not be able to trample everyone underfoot, but at the very least, few people would dare cross me."
"But if I went to the Inner City, I could still become a high-ranking leader, provided I bowed my head and pledged allegiance."
"So while the Organ-Refining Realm might be considered top-tier in a small place like this, it wouldn't be anything special in a commandery city. I'd still count as a minor expert."
"Bear in mind, even this little county town of Changfeng has a population of over a million, yet there are only a few hundred Tendon-Refining Realm martial artists."
"A commandery city has a population of tens of millions. Against that many people, finding a Tendon-Refining Realm martial artist is like looking for a needle in the ocean."
Listening to him, Lu Li gained a clearer picture of the world beyond the county.
They took a step forward and came to the counter.
"Just tell me what you want," the old man said bluntly.
"Which pill is most effective for breaking through to the Organ-Refining Realm?" Lu Li asked.
"The Purple Sun Pill. It's made using the placenta of the Ghost-Faced Ram and is extremely beneficial for refining the internal organs."
"The price is nine hundred taels of silver."
Lu Li knew of the Ghost-Faced Ram. It was a highly dangerous demon.
Once fully grown, it possessed Organ-Refining Realm strength without having to cultivate at all.
People usually went out of their way to avoid even crossing paths with one, for fear of being spotted.
Forget about capturing one and taking its placenta.
Hearing that the pill was available, Lu Li felt a surge of excitement.
But when he heard the price, it was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, chilling him to the bone.
It turned out all the silver he had earned still wasn't enough to buy even one Purple Sun Pill!
But one Purple Sun Pill could save an ordinary person years of hard cultivation. If he got one, his strength might soar, and he could even break through to the Organ-Refining Realm that very day.
He had to get this Purple Sun Pill!
"Martial cultivation really is a bottomless pit!" Lu Li thought with a sigh.
"Are you buying it or not?" The old man seemed to see Lu Li's predicament and glanced at him.
Lu Li nodded, his heart bleeding.
Nine hundred taels of silver—he couldn't afford it even if he emptied his pockets.
Luckily, he had killed Wang Ju and obtained a bronze token, which entitled him to a ten-percent discount.
On top of that, he had had the foresight to bring all the silver from home with him.
If he pooled it all together, he could just barely afford the pill.
"Good, you're decisive. This pill is in high demand, and it's the last one," the old man said.
Lu Li was immensely relieved that he had brought the silver from home.
Otherwise, he would have missed his chance at the Purple Sun Pill.
Still, Lu Li felt a little regretful.
After buying the Purple Sun Pill, Hu Niu's breakthrough medicine would have to wait a while longer.
"I'll go back and comfort Hu Niu. With her silly disposition, she probably won't take it to heart," Lu Li reassured himself.
Soon, the old man handed Lu Li the box containing the Purple Sun Pill.
"We're out of Purple Sun Pills, but we still have the next best thing, the Dragon Essence Pill. It's only a little less effective and costs eight hundred taels," the old man kindly reminded him. "This pill is also in high demand, so you might want to consider it next time."
Lu Li nodded, then continued asking, "By the way, do you have anything that can help a demon break through to the Organ-Refining Realm?"
He had gone to all the trouble of coming here. He might as well ask around and plan ahead.
"Something to help a demon break through? Those things are rather rare." The old man didn't seem surprised. He fell into thought.
He had spent more than half his life in the martial world and seen plenty. The idea of someone taming a demon didn't strike him as strange.
Some sects were even renowned for raising demonic beasts.
They were famed far and wide, and their battle prowess was extraordinary!
Still, Lu Li was young, and judging by his words, the demon seemed to be at the same level as him.
The old man praised him anyway. "I wouldn't have guessed you had it in you, kid. You can even tame a demon."
Lu Li smiled modestly without replying.
Soon, the old man suddenly looked up, as if he had remembered something. "There's still a stalk of Sandalwood Purple Bamboo in the warehouse. It can help a demon break through. Whether it works or not is up to fate."
"It costs five hundred taels."
Lu Li nodded. That was just the reward from two or three missions.
Suddenly, the old man remembered something else and furrowed his brows. "Oh, right. Someone's already got their eye on that Sandalwood Purple Bamboo. They'll probably have enough money for it soon."
"It's the only medicine we have that can help a demon break through. If you miss this chance, you'll have to wait another year. The commandery city probably won't restock it before then."
"What? A year?" Lu Li's expression changed.
A year was far too long. By then, he might have already broken through from the Houtian Realm to the Xiantian Realm.
And Hu Niu's breakthrough was still nowhere in sight.
For a moment, Lu Li was torn. Should he skip the pill and force his own breakthrough instead?
Just as Lu Li was about to decide, Black Hawk, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke. "I'll buy the Sandalwood Purple Bamboo and give it to Brother Blood Ghost."
"Black Hawk, you..." Lu Li studied him for a moment. When he saw the friendly smile on Black Hawk's face, he suddenly understood what the man had in mind.
"Lu Li, I was the one who recommended you. I earned a full thousand taels of silver thanks to you." Black Hawk clapped Lu Li on the shoulder.
"Your martial talent is exceptional, just like mine. You can keep up with me."
He thumped his chest and continued, "Let's be friends. When we take on assassination jobs and run into trouble, we can look out for each other. What do you say?"
"On the road to success, one more friend means one more path."
Lu Li fell silent for a moment and considered it. There was no downside for him.
It would solve his urgent problem and help his strength soar.
And the choice of what to do later would still be his.
If Black Hawk tried to cheat him, Lu Li wasn't afraid of him.
Black Hawk might be a genius, but no matter how talented he was, he still couldn't match Lu Li.
So Lu Li decided to accept the offer.
"Thanks," Lu Li said with a smile.
"Here, take it." Black Hawk retrieved the box containing the Sandalwood Purple Bamboo. It was about the size of a palm, and the stalk inside probably wasn't very large.
Lu Li accepted it gladly.
With both the Purple Sun Pill and the Sandalwood Purple Bamboo in hand, the mission was a complete success!
Before you continue